


Post-Regicide

by Little_Wintry



Series: Destiny 1 [10]
Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Gen, PTSD, Post-Game: Destiny: The Taken King DLC, Trauma, like a smidge of Angst, mostly more Momkora, since I deleted my TTK series I wanted to at least post this, so here have some very light angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:55:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24581161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Little_Wintry/pseuds/Little_Wintry
Summary: Once Zelun is out of the Ascendant Plane, she collapses, and Pirul calls the only person he can think of - Ikora.
Series: Destiny 1 [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1745218
Kudos: 2





	Post-Regicide

“Please pick up, please pick up, Ikora  _ answer your damn comms-”  _ Pirul spun in his shell nervously and counted the seconds.

Ikora’s familiar voice rang in. “Pirul? It’s been a few hours.”

“Yeah, it has,” Pirul said, struggling to keep his voice steady.

“Oryx. Is he-”

“Dead, or at least pretty close for a Hive God.”

“Ah, good.” Ikora suddenly stopped. “Wait. Why are  _ you _ calling? Is Zelun okay?”

Pirul glanced down to the unconscious form of his Guardian lying on the ground of the Dreadnaught. He hesitated. “About that. Can you come pick us up?”

“Pirul,  _ is she alive?” _

“Uh, yes. Breathing at least. Comatose is probably closer. She-”

Pirul heard the hum of a transmat firing and Ikora asking her Ghost to set a corse for the Dreadnaught. Pirul hovered quietly.

“Go on,” Ikora said sternly. “Tell me what happened.”

Pirul would have wrung his hands if he had them. “Oryx… I don’t know, we were somewhere. Ascendant Plane, maybe. She killed him, used the last bit of her Light, and when we were spit out on the other side of the portal she fainted. Out cold.”

Pirul dipped down to the ground, nestling himself in Zelun’s cloak. She was breathing, all right; faintly, and hoarsely, but breathing.

He saw a blink in the distance and within seconds Ikora’s ship was hovering beside the Dreadnaught. She transmatted down, scooped Zelun in her arms, and transmatted back to her ship, taking Pirul with her.

Pirul and Ophiuchus exchanged an awkward glance. Ikora set Zelun in the passenger seat - she groaned slightly and winced at invisible pain - before Ikora went speeding back towards the City. Pirul sat in Zelun’s lap, letting himself calm down.

“You’re quiet,” Ikora remarked as they sped past the Reef.

“It was… a lot.” Pirul stared blankly into space. “Oryx… he wasn’t like Crota. He was something different.” He left his words hanging in the air.

Ikora shot him a sideways glanced. “If you’re spooked-”

“Zelun is going to be in tatters.”

Ikora sighed through gritted teeth before landing in the Tower Hangar, Pirul just over her shoulder.

\--------------------------------------------------------------

Zelun woke with a start.

She gasped, her chest heaving and spikes of pain going through her entire body. Her vision danced with spots. Her mouth tasted metallic, laced with a bitter tinge and cold, Taken energy chilling the marrow of her bones.

She felt a firm hand on her shoulder, gently pressing her back down into her bed. “Zelun, relax. It’s okay, it’s me.”

Her vision cleared just enough to see two familiar dark amber eyes.

“Ikora?” She struggled, her throat singed. She blinked a few times, breathing raggedly. “I… me and- and Pirul-”

“You passed out after the fight,” A second, familiar voice said, and Zelun saw Pirul hovering by her bedside. “I called Ikora to pick us up.” 

Zelun managed a smile, and lifted her arm just enough to pet her Ghost’s shell. She could feel him buzz in his shell, a small warmth emanating from him. He dipped down and buried himself in the crook of her elbow.

Reality suddenly snapped back to her. “Oryx,” She said. “He’s not dead, he can’t be, he-”

“A fireteam is already dispatched,” Ikora said, nodding. “They’re already there and prepped, and should be coming back any time now. They’re going to finish him off.”

That, at least, seemed to calm Zelun down. The three sat for a while. Zelun dozed off again without realizing it, and when she woke, the sun was setting low in the sky, casting the whole room in an orangey glow, and Ikora was sitting idly, checking the feeds. Pirul was powered off, nestled still in Zelun’s arm.

Ikora hardly glanced up. “You did it, Zelun.” She said, and looked up. “You got that revenge.”

Zelun looked up at the white plaster ceilings. “Then why do I still feel so empty?”

Ikora chuckled. “Revenge is like that. But it’ll come around again, and you’ll indulge, and then you’ll be sitting there asking the same question.”

Zelun laughed in kind. “Yeah, right. I’m not gonna  _ have  _ to avenge anyone else.”

Her smile faded and she turned her head away. “I mean, great, sure. Another Hive God down, universe saved. But… the Taken are still here. The Awoken are still gone.” She felt her eyes burn.

Ikora bit her tongue. “You honored them. You may not remember them, but you still treat them like your people. You avenged them. It was the reasonable action.”

“I just-” Zelun’s voice cracked. “Why does this always happen?”

Ikora was silent for a moment, waiting for Zelun to elaborate.

“I become a new Guardian, then Crota comes along. I find the Awoken, my  _ people, _ then Oryx comes and kills them.”

“Things are fine now, Zelun, you-”

“That’s my point. For every win, every good thing that happens, something else comes to crush it in my face.”

Ikora had no response. She sat in thoughtful silence.

Zelun sobbed quietly. “Why can’t I just save everyone?”

Ikora gently put her hand on Zelun’s shoulder, biting her lip. “You’re a Guardian, and a very considerate one. You’ll want to save the world. But your biggest strength is in knowing your weaknesses. It’s okay if you can’t save everyone. It matters how to you go on from that.”

Zelun sniffled and put her hand on Ikora’s. “I’m tired of being a Guardian for now. I just wanna live far away from everything and not have to fight Fallen and Hive and Cabal and stop the sun from being destroyed every other Tuesday.”

Ikora smiled. “I think you’d get bored rather quickly.”

She stood, put her hand on Zelun’s head, and realizing she felt cold to the touch. She’d have to say something to the med staff.

“You’re still reeling from your fight,” Ikora said. “I’ll be back in a few minutes, but get some rest. At least do that before you go running off never to be seen again.”

Zelun smiled weakly. “Thanks, Ikora.”

Ikora smiled in turn and Zelun pulled her blanket up to her chin, holding Pirul close to her chest and trying to ease her nerves. 

**Author's Note:**

> So since I deleted my old TTK work, I figured I should at least post this (since tomorrow I'll start posting a new series featuring my Warlock and Titan, and TTK will be a bit important). And yes, I do call back to Forsaken with this, and the whole 'vengeance wasn't really the answer' moral. Also yes, Zelun has a major savior complex. But I also wanted to give MAJOR thanks to just like, everyone who has even read Shadowkeep. It's already got over 50 hits and - last I checked - 8 kudos, which is amazing for a small-time writer like me. That kinda stuff just makes my day when I check. 
> 
> TL;DR: Zelun has a savior complex, Ikora is concerned, something definitely happened in the Ascendant Plane with Oryx, and I'll update tomorrow ;) Stay healthy, and stay safe.
> 
> -Wintry


End file.
